comment_texts: 000057bf478928c71f406df678a968ad05b278a13dc498acc9eef4b91cf72199
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| 000057bf478928c71f406df678a968ad05b278a13dc498acc9eef4b91cf72199 | I both live and work in Greenpoint near the 'border' of the Site Examination Area of the Meeker Ave Plumes. The area covered in this investigation contains not only both residences and places of work but also many residences and work places that are in or extend to basements - making inhabitants even more susceptible to the effects of soil gas contamination. Most community members are not aware of the conditions and the potential danger they may be facing. As such, I strongly support the proposed rule to add the Meeker Avenue Plume site (EPA–HQ–OLEM–2021–0461) to the National Priorities List. As a nearby worker and resident, I am deeply concerned by the dangerous toxic plumes in the community's soil and groundwater. The chlorinated solvent chemicals in the plume, including TCE (trichloroethylene) and PCE (tetrachloroethylene), are deadly. Testing has shown that their concentrations are a direct threat to human health, causing both acute and chronic harms. Extended exposures to these toxins are known to cause a number of cancers and heart ailments. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) discovered the plume more than a decade ago and is requesting an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) takeover because the scope of the soil and groundwater contamination is too large and too complex for the state to manage. The investigation area includes a large section of residential properties, is near a school and several parks. Given the potential exposures to many thousands of families, only a federal investment can ensure that the cleanup is thorough and comprehensive. Cooper Park Houses, the area’s only public housing complex, abuts the investigation area. Cleaning up this site is an issue of environmental justice because some of our community’s most vulnerable residents are at the highest risk of exposure. | 1 | d9da96c4245fc7ac2238d7c3d25a563b9db045f62d2a0b4e3b83d78aa851a776 |